Between Two Lives
by Lover of Angelus
Summary: There are two futures that Harvey sees. One where Wes drowns the rest of his life in whiskey and women. And one where he's running with a gun and a badge and young man who challenges him and loves him and heals him. Takes place after "The Times We Never Had" but before "MUNCHKN"
1. Finding that singular moment

**Title**: Between Two Lives

**Disclaimer**: Me no own, You no sue.

**Warning**: Slash (obviously); language; 2nd POV - Harvey

**Notes**: Takes place after "The Times We Never Had" but before "MUNCHKN"

**Notes2**: _**This** _is one future, _**((this))**_ is another.

-z-

**Chapter 1**: Finding that singular moment of divergence.

-z-

"_**We the jury find the defendant 'guilty' of all three counts of first degree murder."**_

"_**You're to be sentenced to life without parole."**_

_**The gavel slams down and an animalistic scream fills the courtroom.**_

"_**I'm innocent!" the man shouts, fighting against the bailiffs. "Please! You've got the wrong man, I'm innocent!"**_

-x-

Your eyes snapped open.

"Everything okay?" Mike asked as he came into your field of vision.

You shook your head and jumped up to grab the phone, quickly punching the speed-dial.

-x-

_**Wes doesn't say anything as he's told about the evidence that's come into the light, about the mix-up down in forensics, about how an innocent man has been rotting away for three years.**_

_**He doesn't say anything just hangs his head and covers his face and falls down into his chair.**_

_**And that night, he hands in his resignation and crawls into a bottle and never comes out.**_

-x-

"Goddamnit, Wesley!" you slammed your hands on the table – drawing the attentions of whoever had been wandering by the borrowed conference room of the courthouse. "He's innocent!"

"Based on what?" Wes was shouting right back. "I've been over the physical evidence a hundred times – it's all stacked against him!"

"Then go over it again," you shouted/pleaded. "Go over it a thousand time because – mark my words, kid – that man is _not_ a killer!"

"Where are you even getting this from?"

You threw your hands in the air, watching as Mike stepped between the two of you.

"Please," Mike's almost begging, "just _listen_ to him."

"No," Wes is shaking his head, "no; one of you is going to explain what the hell is going on. I've haven't asked before because I figured you would just tell me eventually. But, I'm asking now."

_Shit_, you think as your heart drops and Wes locks his eyes on you.

"How do you _know_ these things? Huh? How?"

"Now isn't the time," Mike snaps. "He just knows, take that for now – just get in that courtroom and _fix_ this."

And Wes, he just glares and stands up, leans forward,

"No," he says, "that's not good enough."

So you snap and you tell him everything. You tell him about your dreams and where this course of action is going to lead him.

"Do you hear me?" you lean in close. "That man is going to rot in prison for three years and when you find out, you're going to quit the firm and drink yourself to death."

"You're crazy," Wes says after a beat and the words cut deep.

"Wes!" Mike cries out in shock.

"And you're just as crazy if you believe any of this bullshit," he chuckles and before either you or Mike can say anything else Wes is gone.

You just fall into a chair and put your head in your hands.

Then Mike is there and his lips are pressed against the side of your head and he's whispering,

"He doesn't know what he's saying. Just give him some time – he just doesn't know."

-x-

That's the first night that your dreams were filled with two futures.

The first future you knew was Wes' right now – the one where he would drown the rest of his life in whiskey and women.

But, that dream kept getting interrupted by another future – a future that saw Wes with a gun and a badge and young man who would challenge him and love him and heal him.

What you couldn't see was the where the futures split, where it was that Wes would deviate from the bottle to pick up a badge and gun.

-x-

_**Wes takes a long pull from a bottle of rum, the woman at his side giggling as she slides her hand into his pocket.**_

_**((Wes takes a long pull from the bottle of beer; the man beside him does the same - they watch each other out of the corner of their eyes.))**_

_**Before Wes can even set the bottle on the table, his wallet is nestled between the woman's breasts and she's sauntering away.**_

_**((And when Wes slams the bottle down on the table he throws his arms in the air and declares his victory. The man vehemently shakes his head – **_**You cheated! Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!**_** – and tackles him to the floor and they wrestle and fight and shout.))**_

_**Wes doesn't notice until the next morning when he wakes up in his own vomit.**_

_**((And then they're kissing and hands are everywhere and clothes are coming off.))**_

-x-

It takes three years for Wes to talk directly to you again, three years before he even sees you without Mike just relaying messages from the phone.

It's right after he hears about the evidence when he comes up to the penthouse and he finally looks you in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says and you see the tears he's fighting. "I'm so sorry, dad."

And it crashes down on you that this is the moment that you've been looking for – this is _that_ single moment.

What you do right now decides which future Wes is going to have.

-z-

End chapter 1.


	2. and picking the right way

**Warning**: Language

**Notes**: 2nd POV - Harvey

-z-

**Chapter 2**: and picking the right way

-z-

"I'm sorry," Wes says. He's leaning against the wall across from the door – like he's just too tired to even support his own weight. "Dad, I'm so fucking sorry."

And before you can even stop yourself, you're grabbing him and pulling him into a hug.

"You didn't know," you say and you're both just holding onto each other. Just out of the corner of your eye, you see the ghost of a young black man walking up the hall.

You pull back then and you look at Wes and you can't help but smile because you know that everything is going to be okay.

But you can't bring yourself to tell him that. You can't bring yourself to say anything at all about the futures that you've seen - not with Wes' dismissal fresh in your mind.

Instead you take a step back and let Mike take over – he grabs Wes and guides him to the couch as you get the beer.

That night, you talk about everything but what you've seen. Instead, when Wes asks what he's going to do now – you suggest he go do the work, become a detective, make sure this doesn't happen again.

Wes nods and talks about a friend he has out in LA who owns a hotel where he could stay. He says there's no way he can't stay on this coast after what he's done.

Mike pouts at the thought of Wes moving so far away; you smirk into your beer at the thought of who else is in LA.

-x-

"_**Dude, you father still hates me," Travis says as he and Wes step out of the elevator.**_

_**Wes knocks on the door to his fathers' penthouse before turning back to Travis, he smiles and brushes imaginary dust off of Travis' shirt.**_

"_**He doesn't hate you, Travis," Wes says, tugging Travis closer and pressing a chaste kiss to the side of his mouth, "he just disagrees with your existence."**_

_**Travis glares and wipes his palms on his jeans.**_

"_**Should I have dressed better?" Travis asks, suddenly self-conscious.**_

"_**You haven't worn a suit in the past seven years that I've known you," Wes said as he rolled his eyes, "and the role-playing exercise doesn't count."**_

_**Travis' glare turned into a pout.**_

-x-

Wes is in Los Angeles for two years before he finally meets Travis.

And you had chuckled and laughed against Mike's skin as you told him about how Wes had no idea what was about to hit him.

-z-

The end.


End file.
